Russian Double Bill by Cui, Langer, sam. 18 mars 2023, Du (2023/2023), Dirigé par Max Hoehn, Chef d'orchestre Lada Valešová, New Athenaeum Theatre, Glasgow, Royaume-Uni

All three operas are based on plays of two of the greatest Russian playwrights, Alexander Pushkin and Anton Chekov. Many years before Peter Schaffer’s famous play Amadeus exploring a possible rivalry between the official court composer to the Hapsburg Court and the revolutionary upstart who dies at the age of 35, Rimsky-Korsakov too decided to delve into their possible association. As we exit the COVID pandemic, Cui’s opera follows the Pushkin short story written in 1830 where at a banquet its host taunts Death with a toast: “And so O Plague, we hail thy rain.” Ironically, because of the pandemic interest in the opera has been revived through virtual performances notably in Brazil, Sweden and Russia. Four Sisters is a comedy loosely based on Chekov’s play Three Sisters. Sung in English it has been written by Russian-born British composer, Elena Langer, who composed Welsh National Opera’s two recent hits, Figaro gets a Divorce and Rhondda Rips it Up, both pieces nominated for an International Opera Award. This will be its staged world premiere.